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Ratchet & Clank 3 Review
Jon Wilcox
19/11/2004
Sony’s mismatched duo head off to save the universe once again in the instalment of the action/adventure series…
2002 saw the launch of the Ratchet & Clank series of games, and ever since then, a new title has been annually released to continue with the duoâs adventures.
Set after the events of R&C2: Locked and Loaded, Ratchet & Clank 3 sees the duo trying to get back to a normal life, something that is made all the more difficult due to Clankâs new found celebrity status which has been built up because of a TV show that he stars in as Secret Agent Clank (cue Bond like clip of a tuxedoed Clank in a Casino playing against a villain and one-liners.) As youâd imagine, Ratchet is somewhat unhappy about it, but any breakdown in the friendship is averted thanks to a distress call to the pair, asking them to go to the Planet Veldin, location of the original game, and help destroy a race of multi-eyed aliens called Tyhrranoids. Later, the story develops further and the duo will have to stop the threat that the galaxy faces as they battle the super-villainous Dr Nefarious, a robot who has the sole aim of destroying all organic life from the galaxyâ¦
Ratchet & Clank is known for having a certain level of humour built into the narrative, and the third title in the series is no different. There is a distinct level of humour, especially prevalent in some of the cutscenes. Not to give too much of the plot away, but when the leader of the rebelling robots, Dr Nefarious, is giving his âmalevolent genius, Bond-style bad guyâ speech, the addition of what can only be described as over-the-top sign language from an individual in the corner of the screen, shows that the developers have injected a sense of humour akin to the CGI features such as Toy Story and Shrek. There is a very obvious double-layer of humour in the game, which of course reinforces the wide audience that the developers aim to please, much in the same way that adults and children can both watch Pixar films and each get a different take on the jokes â“ you only have to look at the fact that the preliminary subtitle of R&C3 was âUp the Arsenalâ, with R&C2 initially called âGoing Commando.â
As youâd expect from a Ratchet & Clank title, the game looks very vivid, with bold colours throughout all of the levels that really emphasise the cartoon style that the developers aimed for. If games such as The Getaway aim to achieve strong cinematic visuals, then R&C aims to corner the feature-length cartoon market. The graphical range as you jump from planet to planet is such that you do feel that like youâve travelled to a different world, which means that you wonât find yourself running around samey locations for levels at a time â“ each world has its own distinct look and enemies, so no endless running around through tunnels and the like here.
As youâd expect, the game is about as linear as they come, with levels only having one route through, and a narrative that requires you to follow the signals when they are given. To be honest though, that isnât such a negative point, in fact, its quite nice to play a game that guides you on your way â“ itâs kind of like watching a no-brain movie. It does the job of entertaining you, and you donât have to spend much time in developing strategies on how to accomplish your missions.
Weapon and Ammo upgrades are accomplished with the âGadgetronâ vending machines, which allow Ratchet to buy a whole variety of weapons as the game progresses, including the N60 Storm Gun, to the Plasma Whip, one of the melee weapons that players can arm themselves with. The vendor also sells a âSuck Cannonâ, which wouldnât be amiss in Microsoftâs Blinx franchise. Later more âadvancedâ vendors allow the player to test each of the weapons free of charge in a âVR Arenaâ, which is essentially the R&C equivalent of âtry before you buyâ. Itâs a detail that adds a further level of depth to the weapon upgrading experience, and means that players can also way up their options before committing all of their hard earned bolts to an underpowered weapon.
Ratchet gets his weapons upgraded the more he uses them, and they can become increasingly powerful â“ itâs an element in the game that adds a little more depth and means that players donât have to rely on buying new upgrades; the developers are in a small way, rewarding gamers for their persistence in progressing through the game. It does mean that sometimes plaers will have to press an extra button to boost the power of the weapon, which can add a certain clunkyness to the combat system, but on the whole, the method works well.
One of the really neat touches that the developers have added to the Gadgetrons is an âEmployee Special Discountâ, which discounts the items that the vending machines offer. To get the discount though, players must insert a PS2 memory card that has a saved game of the original Ratchet & Clank release, which means that fans are rewarded for their loyalty for the franchise. It may not seem like that much an addition, and to be honest it isnât, but itâs a detail that fans of R&C will certainly appreciate.
On board the Starship Phoenix, Ratchet has the chance to experience the Virtual Reality Deck, which can help to dramatically increase the number of bolts that can be then used to buy new weapons and ammo. The VR missions take the form of various challenges from destroying waves of robots to destroying waves of robots within time limits. The challenges may not have the greatest amount of scope, but as mini challenges to boost your amount in your wallet, they are good fun.
The control system can be very clunky, especially when it comes to performing the long jumps. There were many occasions spent in frustration as we tried again and again to make what would have been in a certain Plumberâs day, a straightforward jump. Players have to move Ratchet forward then press crouch, then jump, in order to perform the move, which is not exactly the most fluid and intuitive method of leaping across great distancesâ¦what ever happened to just running faster, then jumping? No doubt the developers could argue that since Ratchet isnât human, that his method of jumping would be quite different, but we just found it awkward.
The game also includes a âfirst-personâ targeting system that players can make use of if they so wish. In these days of such luminary FPS titles such as Halo 2, Half-Life 2, and Doom 3, we expected that the FPS targeting system would actually work quite well in R&S3; sadly, however, the ability to judge distances whilst in this view can be diminished, and youâll spend a lot of the your time combating in the standard 3rd person view.
As with last weekâs Halo 2, the developers of Ratchet & Clank 3 have placed emphasis on online multiplayer modes, which they hope will increase the longevity of the game for players; and like H2, R&C3 has several game modes that donât exactly push the boat out so far as originality is concerned. Siege and Deathmatch modes are things that will appeal to a lot of people, and whilst they allow for up to 8 people to connect together and battle it out, they arenât the most expansive of modes â“ but then again, itâs very unlikely that the developers were aiming for that either.
As with the graphics, the sound and music of Ratchet & Clank 3 fit the bill perfectly with itâs explosions and weapons ânoise.â They, like the graphics, are over the top, with the music that accompanies the titles also helping to create the style and feel of the game to a great degree.
But perhaps we are just taking R&C3 too seriously, after all, the game is supposed to be a fun 3D platformer that appeals to a wide demographic â“ a game for kids, teens, and adults alike. Regardless of whether games are for a general audience or for the hardcore gaming scene, it is most of all imperative that the titles work, and for the most part, Ratchet & Clank 3 does. The game is fun to play and offers puzzles and challenges that range in their levels of difficulty and complexity. As with most 3D platformers over the past 8 years, they donât really deviate from the rules laid out by Mario 64, and as such the gamplay does feel samey from the off â“ but then again, so have all the other platformers.
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